VTech Named Target Vendor of the Year

VTech is on a roll. Following the news that the maker of innovative learning toys has been named “Toy Supplier of the Year” down in Bentonville, now comes an honor from the Bullseye. Target named VTech “Vendor of the Year.”

“We work closely with our vendor partners on all aspects of our business, and VTech played a key role in the great progress we made within Toys in 2018,” says Mark Tritton, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, Target. “From inventory management to product innovation and more, their efforts helped us bring guests more of the tech toys they love, and ultimately pick up sales and market share as more families choose Target for all of their toy needs.”

The Minneapolis-based retailer cites the VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX2, KidiBuzz smart device, Ultimate Alphabet Activity Cube, and the Touch and Learn Activity Desk Deluxe among the winning offerings in recent months.

Target has been reimagining their toy departments, to great success. For more on Target’s 2019 outlook on toys, see The Toy Book‘s State of the Toy Industry Q&A with Kelly Caruso, senior vice president, hardlines merchandising.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.